Oregon Humane Society officers seek to join with state police

View full sizeBrian Feulner/ The Oregonian/2011Oregon Humane Society Investigators like Austin Wallace would become members of the Oregon State Patrol of legislation passes.

Law enforcement officers charged with enforcing animal welfare hope to move from the governor’s office to the state patrol, with a new bill in the upcoming legislative session.

House Bill 4021 would transfer commissioning authority of Oregon Humane Society officers from the governor’s office to the Oregon State Patrol.

“We are law enforcement; and we’d like to be under the state police, because it’s a much clearer chain of authority, and it’s where our law enforcement officers belong,” said Sharon Harmon, executive director of the Oregon Humane Society.